You received a speeding ticket at the hands of Virginia law enforcement. You want to contest the traffic offense, but would it make more sense to negotiate?
NerdWallet offers insights that may help lessen your traffic offense penalties. Learn more about your options for handling a speeding ticket.
Mitigating
When you negotiate your traffic ticket, you engage in mitigating. The court and prosecutor may negotiate with you to save time and money. To improve your chances of negotiating, look into the court handling your hearing to determine if you may request a negotiation. If so, dig further to learn whether you must submit your request in writing. If the traffic offense is your first, you may have a solid chance of having the violation waived if you agree to complete a driving course during your mitigation session.
Deciding
During negotiations, prepare to admit to speeding. Before you despair, know that you may present evidence to the judge that shows why you deserve a reduced sentence. If successful, you may receive more time to gather the funds to pay your original traffic offense ticket. The judge may also stipulate that even though you must pay all or a percentage of the ticket, it does not negatively affect your driving record. Your negotiation session may end with a reduced fine. If you would rather not pay the ticket at all, ask whether you may take a driving course as penance.
If all else fails, ask about a deferral. With this option, while you pay a fine, the court dismisses your ticket if you do not have further run-ins with the law over a specific period.
